When lightning strikes
by Luna-Rose Lestrade
Summary: During a terrible battle, a flash of light separates the knights, Arthur and Merlin. Through the forest they must try to find each other before danger finds a way of catching up with them. But that isn't easy with ruthless men and mysterious blue knights after them. But is there another force at work here? Rated T just to be safe (for fighting violence). Sequel to 'lack of control'
1. Chapter 1-Lightning

**Sequel! This is a sequel to my first story 'lack of control'. I would really recommend reading that before this story as its gonna lead on from it.**

**Also so sorry. I know I said I'd have this up last week but time got away from me. And I don't know when I'll be able to post these chapters as I'm still writing it and I don't have too much time for writing at the moment but I'll try to post as soon as I can. **

**Hope you enjoy and please review! **

Chapter 1- Lightning

The clash of swords echoed loudly through the trees that shook with the carnage that lay around them. The whole forest was chaos. Men fought wildly so that it was not certain who was fighting who. Cries and yells filled the air that had once been calm with bird calls. The wind had stilled as soon as the fighting had started as though afraid to interfere with the gruesome affairs of men. Some of those fighting wore proud shining armour; capes of two different colours were present. Others wore dark clothes that did not look protective but were well equipped with weapons they could wield with great skill so that they were a match for the group of knights.

Near the centre of this battle was a nobleman who was fairing better than most and easily fended off four men who were attacking vehemently. King Arthur swung his sword, disarming one and stabbing another. No sooner had the man fallen that another took his place. He continued to push back against the men but no matter how many he slew more would appear from nowhere. He couldn't understand where they were coming from. He knocked two of them down, cut another and the fourth was found with no weapons in sight. With this briefest of pauses, Arthur scanned the battlefield. It wasn't exactly a battlefield. It was a normal patch in the forest that had unfortunately been the spot for all this to happen. The fighting had spread out all through the trees so it was hard to pick out everyone. He spotted some of his knights nearby: Leon was fighting off a group of three, Percival was fairing well and over by a large oak, small Elyon was easily keeping back two. Although he was relieved that they were okay, they weren't who he was looking for and he already knew that they could handle themselves well. His second of rest was over as the men fighting him regrouped with a new pair of men that he had not yet fought. Never had he met people in the forest that determined. At first he had believed that they were mercenaries but they were too focused and persistent. He risked a glance over the men's heads as they fought.

There! He caught sight of a brown jacket and the flash of a blue neck scarf. Despite the danger they were all in, relief flooded through him. Merlin was okay and fighting well. He had not been idle these past few years and learned some skill with a blade that was enough to keep him alive. If his eyes had not mistaken him, Gwaine was nearby. He would keep Merlin safe. That knowledge allowed him to let himself fall back into the battle. Distractions would not mean well for him.

The fighting seemed to go on forever and Arthur was beginning to weary. The waves of these strange men did not stop coming and the attacks did not stop for an instant. He had long since lost sight of all his men, the only knight he could see was Sir Leon overrun with his own group of men. The sun was beginning to fade, unable to witness the awful display any longer and the sky spread blood red rays of light over them. The shouts and cries had not quietened since the start and many bodies lay still on the tainted forest floor.

Arthur felt himself backing up as he now began to struggle. Too long had this gone on for. The men noticed this and advanced. Then Arthur's foot suddenly hit something soft and unstable that his foot slipped on and he wavered slightly. He pushed the men back a moment and looked down. A mournful cry of disgust escaped his lips when he did. He had trodden on a dead man's hand. The eyes stared blankly at him, as though asking "why?" and Arthur had to force himself to look away.

This temporary weakness and his tiredness lost it for him as a sharp pain exploded in his thigh. He lashed out and a satisfactory grunt greeted him as another man fell. Arthur let out a scream as the wave of pain from his leg hit him in full.

"Arthur!" He heard a shout from close by. It took him a while to realise whose voice it was. Leon was the only one close enough to him and now he was battling his way towards him to help the king.

Leaning his weight onto his right leg, Arthur turned back to his own opponents. He blocked the strikes well, but now he was no longer able to move as he would usually because of the damage to his leg. The other men seemed to sense their advantage and grinned sinisterly at him as they prowled in front of them, waiting for their move. In their eyes there was no way they could lose now. The King's life was theirs. However they did not consider the vengeance of a knight when his King was in danger.

Sir Leon leaped at them whilst they were focused on their prey. Two fell immediately, their blood watering the already soaked ground. He stood protectively in front of Arthur, defying any who dared approach, those few who did were easily dealt with, discouraging anymore from attempting an attack though it wouldn't be long until there were more men that would easily overwhelm the two knights.

"Arthur we have to get you out of here," Leon said quietly over his shoulder, his eyes never leaving the men before them.

As expected the stubborn reply of the King told him firmly, "No."

"Arthur," Leon persisted, "You're injured. You won't be able to fight them off and Camelot needs its King-"

"I can't Leon," Arthur interrupted, "How can I? These are my knights, my friends. I can't leave them to die."

"Arthur," He said softly, "You've lost many already."

With Leon watching their opponents, Arthur was able to look around the forest for the first time. The ground was littered with bodies, many of which were knights who bore the royal red cloak from Camelot. Arthur's stomach turned. He had failed all of these men. Never had he lost so many on what was never meant to be a battle. He tried to look for his friends and knights but it was hard to spot anyone in the growing darkness.

"Arthur, Camelot needs you," Leon continued. It was only then that Arthur realised what Leon was saying. He had already given up any confidence that this was a battle that they could win. He was telling him to save himself because otherwise they would all die. He was telling him the battle was already lost. Camelot needed its king.

The men had grown impatient and now they had packed a tight ring around the two knights, cutting them off from escape whilst they had been talking. Leon cursed himself for not having noticed it. He had been too focused on the enemy in front; he had not noticed the approach from behind. He backed closer to Arthur who had his sword raised. They stood back to back, watching for the first move from the opponents. So much for getting the King to safety.

There was a glint in the men's eyes as the reality of their victory had greeted them and their prey seemed to have also come to this conclusion though they would not accept it easily. Arthur tried to scan the forest again for a sign that his friends were okay, for a sign that Merlin was still alive. He shouldn't have even been here, let alone fighting.

Suddenly the world flashed a startling white, blinding all in the forest and instantly the inhabitants were raised from their feet and threw far across the forest. Arthur felt himself being twisted and weightless as the brightness engulfed him. Confusion clouded his thoughts. Then his shoulder exploded in agony as hard ground rushed up to meet him and his world transformed into darkness.


	2. Chapter 2- Rescue

**Thank you to those who reviewed. I recognise your names from the last story and am so happy you're still following. I hope I don't disappoint. **

**As I'm currently struggling through chapter 5 I feel I can post this one but I'm really struggling at the moment and may rewrite some of what I've done. I'm not liking it and I'm having some trouble with writing some of the characters. What do you think of it so far? Is it okay? I really value your feed back.**

**Thanks! Here's the next chapter!**

Chapter 2- Rescue

Merlin's head was burning. His whole body felt like it had exploded and a throbbing pain had ignited itself in his temple. He groaned but couldn't bring himself to move. A small breeze soothed his face, willing him to move.

With another groan, Merlin forced his eyes open. Trees spun above his head, the sky a pale grey dotted with stars. Evening or early morning? He pushed himself into a sitting position and looked around him. The grass was waving merrily at him and the ground was dry beneath his hands. He frowned. Wasn't there something missing? The scene began to spin and he squeezed his eyes shut. Slowly, the pain and dizziness dissipated until all that remained was that dull throb in his temple. He opened his eyes and scanned his surroundings again. The forest was completely empty apart from the trees. There was no one in sight and the bodies that had been scattered on the floor had vanished without a trace. Suddenly the memories of the past events came rushing back to him.

There had been a battle. A terrible battle. He willed his thoughts to work harder.

There had been a group of knights to start with, so long ago it seemed now. It was only early in the afternoon as the sun had pulled itself past midday and slowly began its decent over the land. Out of nowhere knights with capes of the deepest blue and swords raised, gleaming in the sunlight, emerged from the trees. Merlin didn't have a clue who they were and neither, it was apparent, did Arthur or the knights. But these strange knights, for some unknown reason, had a vendetta against the King and that was all Merlin needed to know. He was prepared to interfere at the slightest sign of danger. However, that was not necessary, for a moment later there was a loud scream from somewhere behind them and a band of wild men came charging at them.

Immediately fighting ensued and the knights were all scattered all across the forest floor. Merlin found Gwaine by his side as he sliced down the enemy who ventured to close. Merlin craned his neck around the crowd of attacking men but could not catch sight of Arthur. There was too many of them. He had drawn the sword by his side and joined Gwaine in the fight. Merlin had only risked using his magic once, near the beginning of the battle to cause a branch to fall on three of the wild men who were coming up behind Percival who was too focused on a band of men he was already fighting. There was a loud crack and the branch snapped, hurtling to the ground and knocking the three men unconscious. Gwaine had spared him a knowing grin at this but was quickly snatched from his face as a whole new wave of attackers appeared.

Merlin thought that he had been doing fairly well, if he said so himself, but the sheer number of the enemy was against them. He had seen many of the knights fall and forced himself to not look at them. There were too many. His anger swelled and magic threatened to escape him to finally put an end to this battle. The sky had turned a deep red since they had begun and Merlin was tiring too quickly. It was all he could do to prevent himself unleashing his true powers and stopping these unknown attackers.

That was when the sky had exploded. A blinding white light had engulfed them and it was filled with raw overpowering magic. Merlin felt himself lift from his feet and go hurtling through the air. He could not feel Gwaine beside him. They had been separated in the fight but not too far. The strength of this magic was threatening to tear him apart. He tried to fight against it but no spell came to mind and his whole body exploded in agony. He was unconscious before he'd even hit the ground.

Merlin shook his head forcefully which he regretted a moment after. It made his head spin. He stumbled to his feet, leaning heavily against a tree to steady him. Once he could stand on his own, he made his way though the forest, tripping on every other step. His temple was still aching and that was setting him off balance. He didn't know why he was heading this way put felt drawn to it. The sky was darkening from grey to black. Soon only the light of the crescent moon and the dotted stars lit his way through the canopy over his head.

His feet were dragging now and his eyes were itchy with tiredness. Sleep was calling to him but he could not listen. He had to find the others and make sure they were okay. That had been severely powerful magic and he had no idea how they may have been affected by it. It was because of his sleep deprived state that it was a while before he noticed the warm orange glow that erupted somewhere before him in the forest. His eyes snapped to it when he was close and could hear rough voices and barks of laughter. His pace slowed instantly and he approached with more caution than before, all weariness now gone.

The inhabitants were not hard to miss. They shouted to each other and laughed raucously every now and again. Merlin paused just beyond where the trees gave way into a large clearing which was busy with movement. There were three fires that were located around the edge of the clearing that spread a warm light which Merlin desperately wanted to move closer to. The early night air was bitter with cold. Men sat around the fire gorging themselves on food and yelling to each other which came out muffled and caused half of the contents still in their mouth to spill out. Merlin wrinkled his nose at them, disgusted. More were gathered around the centre, joking around and roughly pushing each other around. Every few seconds a fight would break out and the rest would cheer, jeering them on.

They all wore the same dull clothing and each had a long sword at his side but had relinquished the rest of the weapons by their side, most of which still held the faded crimson stains. It was with a pang he realised that these were the same men from before, the men who had attacked them. What did that mean for the knights if these had made it? His thoughts rested on Arthur. Camelot would fall without its King. Arthur would fall if he lost his knights. Leon, Elyan, Percival, Gwaine. He hoped desperately they were all okay. He had been hoping to have run into them soon. What if they hadn't made it? Arthur would be devastated. Merlin, too, would be distraught to lose these knights he had become such good friends with over his time at Camelot. He let himself sweep those thoughts to the back of his mind as he remembered these men in the clearing before him. It would not be an ideal time to become distracted.

Keeping low, Merlin crept further around, his eyes never leaving the main group. He came to a stop again and found a smaller group further away but still in the light of the fires. They were crowded round something, discussing whatever it was. Then one of the men moved and Merlin saw it was not something but someone.

A young girl was cowering before them, maybe seven years old. How she had gotten there, Merlin had no idea. Her face was stained in mud and dirt, her hair was lanky and as black as the night sky above them now though that may have been from its unkempt state. Her clothes were tattered and thin, not enough to keep out this cold night air as she shivered occasionally, arms wrapped round herself protectively. Her bright green eyes, wide with fear, never left the men before her. The men only spared her occasional glances. Merlin strained to hear their words over the shouts from the rest of the camp.

"Well, I can see that, you idiot," The largest of the men growled at another. He was well built with large muscular arms and a hard face that looked like it had been moulded from one of the boulders around the clearing. A large sword hung at his side as well as daggers and long knives which glinted threateningly in the moonlight.

The other man he had been talking to shrunk away. He was smaller than the others but the way his fingers constantly fingered the small blade on his hip told Merlin that he was just as capable if not worse. He made no further attempt to speak but looked to the other man with them for help.

The third man was a lot surer of himself than the small man. He stared each defiantly in the eyes when he spoke as though challenging them to talk against him.

"Well, _Captain_," The third man said to the largest man who had just spoken, "What do you suppose we do with her then?"

The Captain noticed the way he had been addressed, not with respect but sarcasm. These were his men. He was supposed to be more confident than he was now. Merlin watched him hesitate then attempt at hiding it.

"We just need to hold her," He kept his voice dark as though any interruption would result in death, "I have no instruction of how we should keep her and certainly we don't have enough food to feed another hungry mouth do we?" The two laughed in agreement, eyeing the child cruelly. Merlin was outraged. The rest of the men were stuffing their faces. They had more than enough food. He looked at the child and saw how painfully thin she was.

"We can chain her up by the fire over there where we can keep an eye on her."

The third man grabbed the child who squirmed in his grip and tried to throw her arm out of his hand. "Feisty little 'un," He grinned.

"Well if she didn't want to stay she shouldn't have been caught in the first place." The captain laughed at the child struggling, "Rook, give him a hand will you?" indicating to the smallest man who still stood watching.

"Sir I don't understand?" the small man asked, not moving an inch, "Why are we doing this? It makes no sense."

"You dare defy my orders?" The captain thundered, his voice turning dangerous.

"It's not your orders I'm defying," The man replied coolly. This obviously seemed to hit a nerve as the captain bellowed with rage and made a swipe at the small man who stepped back easily but fear coated his features once more.

"I should have you killed on the spot for questioning me. You're lucky I'm merciful."

"Y…Yes, Captain," Rook stuttered, averting his gaze from the leader's.

"Now give 'im a hand like I told you to!"

Reluctantly the small man moved forwards, grabbing the young girl's other arm to prevent her clawing at the other man's hand. The child was terrified now, her eyes darting from one captor to the other, mouth open silently in panic. She continued to thrash around but was too small to accomplish anything. Merlin had to admire her defiance and courage at such a young age.

Merlin was unable to contain his rage any longer. His eyes flashed a bright molten gold and a spell did not even need to be uttered, so strong were his thoughts. Without warning the Captain went flying back through the air, landing painfully on the hard ground and his eyes fluttered shut. The man, who had first restrained the girl and had yet to be named, released his hold and scanned the boundaries of the camp carefully. His eyes drifted in Merlin's direction but got no further as, with another flash of gold, the man joined the Captain on the ground. Rook kept his hand gripped tightly on the young girl's upper arm staring to the trees defiantly. If this unseen attacker had wanted to attack him, he would have to risk the girl too.

Merlin's anger rose at his cowardice. This small man wasn't as reckless as the others but if he thought that hiding behind an innocent child was going to save him then he was sadly mistaken. Another flashed of gold disturbed the dark night.

There was a cry from the clearing and Rook snatched his hand away in horror. His hand was an ugly red and the palm charred from where his hand had seemed to have become a white hot with no cause. The girl was unharmed and stared at him in shock. As he was distracted staring horrified at his burnt hand he was caught off-guard and flew back through the air further than the other two and was unconscious.

Miraculously the other men in the clearing had not seemed to notice what had happened to their comrades. It was not too surprising really as they were making enough noise to drown out a thunderstorm should it appear and most had consumed too much ale to be aware of much anyway.

Merlin readied himself to run forward to snatch the girl as she appeared too scared and shell shocked to move on her own, but was beaten to it. A dark shape ran into the clearing, breaking his cover from the trees from somewhere to Merlin's left. Merlin was astonished that he hadn't noticed him before.

The unknown figure ran up to the girl and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her up, without even breaking step, and vanished back into the trees on the opposite side of the clearing. As he went, Merlin recognised the shining silver armour that caught in the moonlight, the bright red cape and straggly dark hair. Gwaine hadn't been too far off after all.

Merlin turned to leave but movement caught his eye. The Captain was already struggling to his feet, groaning. Merlin frowned. The spell shouldn't have worn off yet. The Captain had made it to his feet and was already yelling orders at the rest of the men who had been snapped out of their brawling and laughter. The other man was also stirring. Merlin had already remained to long and took off into the darkness under the trees in the hope of finding Gwaine.


	3. Chapter 3- Hunt

**Happy Easter! Yay! To celebrate, here, take an extra long chapter, comes free with open cliffhanger. Enjoy! **

**Again thank you to people following and reviewing. It means so much to me and let me know what you think of this chapter, I really value feedback. As holidays are here I have more time to write so can hopefully figure the rest of this story out. (Also I'm posting a short doctor who if anyone is in the fandom but it does feature Merlin and two other fandoms, just to do something for Easter if anyone wants to check it out. Thanks!) **

**Anyway, this chapter is Gwaine and Merlin and next chapter you can find out what is happening with the others. Please review! And hope you like it!**

Chapter 3- Hunt

Gwaine's head was pounding. It felt like he'd drank way too much ale and then taken a few rounds with the largest guy at the tavern. Slowly his eyes flickered open and he gazed wearily at the trees above his head, waving so calmly and lazily that it was out of place from his memories of that gruesome battle.

The memories came to him quicker and he shot to his feet, scanning the land urgently for any sign of enemies but the forest was completely abandoned and still. There had been bodies strewn across the leafy ground and scarlet pools that would stain the ground for longer than the men who had fallen there. He screwed his eyes shut to force the memories from his head. Those images were not the first, nor the last, that would haunt him. Taking a deep breath he opened his eyes and glanced up at the sky. The sun was almost gone, grey light beginning to taint the stars.

Judging from the sky, he chose his path and made his way confidently forwards, hoping he would come across any of his friends soon. The twigs and leaves that coated the forest floor crunched beneath his feet comfortingly. He had always liked the forest. The castle was a bit too crowded for his liking sometimes and he was always constrained by orders and duty. Not that he didn't love being a knight. Being a knight was the best thing that had happened to him in his unfortunate life. He now had friends and a purpose. He supposed that he had Merlin to thank for that. Merlin who had been his only friend and had shown care when no one else had. Merlin who had led him to become a knight that had seemed so impossible under Uther's reign. Merlin who had a dangerous secret so heavy that Gwaine did not know how his friend had carried it alone for so long. Merlin who had magic. No, was magic. He had to remember that.

Even though it had been nearly a month since he had discovered Merlin's true identity, it still seemed impossible and he had trouble getting his head around it. Not long after he had found out the truth, he had forced the young servant to tell him everything, and not leave anything out, which he hadn't. Gwaine had been stunned into silence, which was a first, after he had heard all that Merlin had accomplished since he arrived at Camelot and how much he had risked for Arthur's sake who was oblivious. Gwaine could not stop himself laughing out loud at some of the stories though, he especially like the one about Arthur with donkey ears. He had tried very hard to persuade Merlin into replaying that spell but he had refused with a grin.

Gwaine pulled himself from his thoughts. He had to remain focused. It was getting dark. There was no one around.

A loud roar of laughter erupted from up ahead.

Well, maybe not. He quickened his pace but kept his steps light. He needn't have bothered for whoever was up ahead were making too much noise to have heard his approach. The trees gave way to a large clearing and Gwaine halted just beyond, crouching low. There were a large band of rowdy men that occupied this clearing. They were all drinking merrily, stuffing their faces and breaking into fights every so often. The scene was lit by three fires that flickered around the clearing. Anger flared up inside them when he realised that these were the same men who had attacked them earlier. The same men who had caused all that death that would be permanently seared in his brain. His eyes fell to a small group closest to him.

It consisted of a large muscular man who appeared to be the leader, his side glittered with deadly weapons, a smaller, almost scrawny man, whose eyes darted nervously but hid a darkness that proved he was just as dangerous as the first man, and a third who was tall and held himself in such sureness and confidence that it was a surprise that he was not in charge.

The third man shifted and revealed a small girl, only a child, dressed in tattered clothing, and stained with mud. Dark, tangled strand of hair fell across her face and into her green eyes which darted fearfully from one man to the other. Her arms were wrapped around herself, either from her terror or the cold, Gwaine was unsure. Gwaine squinted his eyes to try to see her face properly, but it was smudged with dirt that hid her feature apart from those bright green eyes. Gwaine restrained himself from rushing forwards to save her. He didn't stand a chance against all these men. Then he heard the gruff voice of the third man.

"Found her spying around the edge of the clearing. Tried to run didn't she?" He gave her shove at that but only gentle so as not to hurt her but she flinched away just the same, her arms grabbing tighter at her sides.

"But we got her." The scrawny man assured, "She ain't getting away from us."

"I'd hope not," The leader huffed, "Grown men against a child."

"We brought her here Captain," The scrawny man explained unnecessarily, "What do you want to do with her?"

"She's of no use to us," The Captain said carelessly, "Only a child. Depends how lucky she is. Depends how good we are. Hey, Miss?" He glared at the small girl, "What was a small thing like you doing so deep in the forest at this time of night?" She didn't reply, only stared back at him, eyes wide with fear. "We don't need a kid around. And who knows who she may tell. We can't have people knowing we're here, especially when those knights could still be around."

The anger flared up again within him and Gwaine felt a strong urge to run in there and start the fight himself. How could he talk about her like that? She was a small innocent child?

Suddenly the leader stiffened. His eyes grew wide and he became rigid. Gwaine felt the wind pick up around him and if he strained his ears it sounded like there was faint whisper on the breeze. The leader nodded at nothing and the wind died down once more. It took a few moments for him to recompose himself and glare at each of his men with hard eyes.

"On second thoughts," He said with an air that challenged any man to confront him, "We should keep her as our _guest." _Gwaine didn't like the sound of guest. Neither did the girl for her eyes darted madly and she tried to make a run for it. Before she could take more than a step, though, the third man had snatched out a hand and grabbed her, pulling her back. Gwaine could see her green eyes water over before she stopped and stood watching her captors again. Only when the third man was sure she wouldn't run again did he release his grip.

"If she's of no use to us then why are we keeping her here?" The third man questioned.

"Because she may have some uses," The leader bellowed back, avoiding the question for the most part.

"Like what?" The third man shot back, "You don't know d'you? Don't even ask. Just another thing we have to burden ourselves with."

"A burden who might be of use. I give the orders here. She has something that could aid us. She could help us somehow and I'll take advice when it's given if it can be beneficial to myself, much like the advice I'm about to give you now: don't ever speak out to me like that again."

"But she is only a child," The smaller man pointed out.

"Well, I can see that, you idiot," The captain growled back.

The scrawny man visibly shrank away and shot a glance at the third man for some kind of assistance.

"Well, _Captain,_" The third man replied, his voice patronising on "Captain" and staring their leader solidly in the eye, "What do you suppose we do with her then?"

The Captain's eyes hardened at the way he had been spoken to. Whoever this third man was, he must have been important for him to get away with two outbursts in the space of a few minutes.

"We just need to hold her," The leader's voice turned dark to scare the other men from speaking out to him again, "I have no instruction of how we should keep her and certainly we don't have enough food to feed another hungry mouth do we?"

The other two men laughed in agreement at this. Gwaine forced the anger down once again. The child was painfully thin, God knows when she had last had a substantial meal.

"We can chain her up by the fire over there where we can keep an eye on her." The leader ordered.

The third man seized the girl's upper arm again. She squirmed in his grip, not wanting another repeat, and shook her shoulder forcefully to try to get him to release his grip.

The man only laughed, "Feisty little 'un,"

"Well if she didn't want to stay she shouldn't have been caught in the first place." The captain laughed also at the child struggling, "Rook, give him a hand will you?" indicating to the smallest man who stood watching.

"Sir, I don't understand?" The scrawny man, now identified as Rook, asked, "Why are we doing this? It makes no sense."

"You dare defy my orders?" The Captain thundered, his voice turning dangerous. He could not take more insubordination from his own men.

"It's not your orders I'm defying," The man replied. This answer took Gwaine by surprise as well as the Captain. He had seen this man as a coward that was too afraid to go against his leader but this showed that he was fine with going against the rules, he was only waiting for the right opportunity, the right moment like a scavenger lying in wait for his prey to fall.

"I should have you killed on the spot for questioning me. You're lucky I'm merciful." The Captain roared.

"Y...Yes, Captain," Rook stuttered, averting his gaze from the leaders. The act had slipped back in place.

"Now give 'im a hand like I told you to!"

Without a question this time, Rook hurried forwards and grabbed the girl's other arm, preventing her from clawing at the unnamed third man's hand. The girl's eyes widened more with terror as she found herself completely trapped and helpless, though she still continued to thrash about in the grip of her captors. Gwaine had to give it to her that she had bravery despite the fear etched on her face.

Gwaine was ready to act now more than ever. His hand had gripped the sword, ready to pull it from it's sheath when the leader had flew backwards through the air and landed hard on the ground. Gwaine froze, forgetting what he had been doing. Then the third man had gone flying back also. Magic!

Rook had figured it out too and gripped the frightened girl tighter, pulling her in front of him. Gwaine scowled at his inconsiderate cowardice. Using an innocent child as a shield? How low could you get? His hand had moved to his sword again before he jumped in shock as Rook cried out. Gwaine glanced back at the man who was staring in horror at his own hand. From here it looked an angry scorched red. The girl was completely unharmed, to his relief.

This sorcerer knew what he was doing. This was Merlin. It had to be. Rook was sent sailing through the air with more force than the other two. Obviously Merlin hadn't approved of the coward either.

Unable to contain the will to act any longer, Gwaine surged forwards right into the centre of the clearing. In one movement, he had scooped up the girl in one arm and continued running without even breaking step. He broke back into the treeline and continued to run.

The girl was light so he could carry her easily without any hindrance to his speed. He could feel how thin she was now he had one arm around her and he desperately wanted to stop right there and make sure she was okay. The girl had before been too stunned to react at all and remained still in his grip but now she had recovered and was pounding his shoulder furiously, trying to escape another capture. It had little effect. She was too small and weak to cause him any damage.

Eventually, when he had thought he had put enough distance between the clearing, he came to a halt and loosened his grip on the struggling girl. He placed her back carefully on the ground and she stared at him in shock with wide green eyes. It had been the last thing she had expected for her fighting to have granted her release. For a moment she forgot that she was supposed to be afraid or escaping and stared at this strange new man.

He had dark hair that fell to his shoulders and wore silver armour with a red cape on his shoulder. A knight? She didn't know much about knights, whether they were good or bad? She studied his face as he crouched down so that he was eye level with her. He didn't seem too bad. His chestnut eyes were soft and warm, his face seemed void of any cruelty and he looked at her with genuine care. Then she remembered the men in the clearing and panic took over again.

"Hey," Gwaine said softly, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder when she tried to turn away, "I'm not going to hurt you. I promise."

The girl paused and looked back at him.

"You're safe now," He continued, "I won't let them hurt you. I'll get you somewhere safe."

She still stared blankly at him but made no move to run.

There was a rustling from behind them and Gwaine shot to his feet, pulling the young girl behind him defensively. His hand flew to his sword. A single man burst through the bushes, panting for breath. He pulled up sharply to stop from running over them.

"Merlin!" Gwaine shouted in relief. Merlin grinned at him. His hair was tangled with leaves. Then Merlin's eyes fell to the girl who was peeking around Gwaine's legs curiously and his expression turned into a reassuring smile.

"Hey," He said softly. The girl darted back behind Gwaine.

"It's okay, it's okay," Gwaine reassured her, stepping away so she could see Merlin, "He's a friend. He's not going to harm you. He's the reason I could get you to safety." The girl looked up at Merlin who smiled back still.

"I'm Gwaine," Gwaine told her, "And that's Merlin. What's your name?"

The girl's eye fell back to him. They waited patiently in silence.

"Can you talk?" Gwaine prompted when there was no reply.

The girl frowned at him but said nothing.

"Okay, okay. You don't have to say anything." Gwaine straightened up and turned to Merlin, "Good work back there. Any sign of the others?"

Merlin shook his head glumly, "They can't be that far if we've found each other. I hope they're okay."

"Me, too. You know them though. They won't go down easily."

Merlin hesitated as if to say something but thinking better of it.

"What is it?" Gwaine asked.

"It's..it's," He seemed to struggle to find the right word, "The men that were knocked unconscious in the clearing. They got up nearly straight away. That shouldn't happen. They should have been out for longer."

"Well that's okay. At least they were down long enough for us to get her out of here."

"No, you don't understand. They _should _have been out longer."

Gwaine frowned. If Merlin's magic wasn't working properly...

There was a loud shout from somewhere in the distance behind Merlin, followed by more so that an angry chorus blared up.

"Oh, and they're now chasing us." Merlin added helpfully.

"You idiot." Gwaine muttered, closing his eyes in frustration, "We need to go."

He turned back to the girl and made to pick her up again but she backed away from him.

"Come on," He urged, "We've got to move now." She still moved away, refusing to be carried, "Fine, but you better keep up."

He seized her hand and began to run dragging her along beside him. He heard Merlin to his right, keeping pace. The shouts they had heard were beginning to fade behind them. If they kept this up they would be away from those men in no time. Surprisingly the girl was keeping up. He kept passing sideways glances at her to make sure she was okay but it wasn't really necessary. She was running along with surprising speed, her hand clutched his tightly and her eyes focused ahead of her, determined.

Then the shouts renewed themselves, louder and closer than before and he was spurred on as though the teeth of the wolves were already at their feet.

* * *

The stars were in full flow now as they swirled patterns in familiar constellations across the sky. The crescent moon cast a faint light over the trees and caught shadows on the forest floor that shifted and took the forms of what was not there. The faint rustle was waving through the trees and somewhere in the distance a soft hoot of an owl mournfully cried.

Merlin was gasping for breath. They had run so far. It was deep into the night now. Gwaine had finally deemed it safe enough to stop. The calls and yells from the wild men had died away long ago but still they had kept running. He leaned his head back against the tree he was leaning against. Gwaine was bent over, hands on his knees, dragging in long breaths after the run. How he could run with all that armour on, Merlin had no idea. The girl was by his side, sitting cross legged on the floor, each breath resulting in a slight wheeze. She had kept up remarkably well and not slowed or made any indication for wanting to stop until Gwaine had told them it was okay. Sweat now beaded on her head, smudging the mud from it and marring her face even more.

The minutes dragged by into the night. Finally, Gwaine straightened up and glanced at Merlin who gave a silent nod and straightened up as well and pushed himself away from the tree he had been resting against. The girl looked up, still breathing heavily and pulled herself to her feet, watching both of them with those bright green eyes. Gwaine made to continue and Merlin fell in beside him. He understood his thoughts. They couldn't sit out in the open for too long. Those men would be trying to catch up with them.

The girl reached out and grabbed Gwaine's hand again which he accepted. Merlin raised an eyebrow at him but received a shrug in return. Like a procession they continued through the forest in the darkness.

Gwaine glanced down as the girl stumbled for the third time. Her eyes kept drooping and she was dragging her feet. He caught Merlin's eye and gave a nod to the child who was now walking with her eyes closed. Merlin scanned the forest around them and silently indicated to their right where there was some thicker undergrowth that looked well sheltered and hidden away from the open so they should be safe from their pursuers. Giving a gentle tug on the girl's hand he steered them towards it. The branches snapped back at them and were stubborn as they tried to push their way through. When they reached a more open area, the girl promptly collapsed, curling herself into a tight ball on the leafy forest floor.

"Kid, are you okay?" Gwaine rushed to her but was responded with an incoherent mumble, heavily laden with sleep. "It's okay," He said with a sigh and gently lifted her, despite her earlier protests, and placed her gently beside the trunk of a large oak tree. He settled himself down beside her with another sigh. He was exhausted but sleep would still have to wait. The girl wriggled beside him; grateful for the more comfortable position he had moved her to.

"Misty," came a small mutter that made Gwaine jump and stare at the child in surprise. He then looked around the cool clear night that hung around them. He frowned back at the girl.

"My name is Misty," with that explanation the child finally succumbed to the enticing call of dreams.

His gaze lifted to Merlin's who had remained standing. His expression was serious and the smile fell from Gwaine's face.

"Who are those people?" Merlin asked with a shake of his head, worry creasing his features.

"I don't know," Gwaine replied, "I thought they could have just been mercenaries but they're too well organised and prepared. I don't know who they are. Don't think anyone did. All I know is that they know what they're doing and if we meet them again...well, let's just hope we don't."

"What did they want with the girl as well?" Merlin continued, nodding at the sleeping form, "She's just a kid. Why would they capture her?"

"I'm not sure if it was their decision," Gwaine speculated, thinking back to what he had overheard, "They were going to let her go, I think, well, I hope that's what they were implying. Then the leader, or Captain, went all rigid as though he was listening to another order. It wasn't natural."

"You suspect magic?"

Gwaine nodded, "I'm not the expert but it looked like it. There was a faint voice on the wind as well. After that the Captain seemed very determined that the girl should stay. And that small one, Rook was it?, he said that it wasn't the Captain's orders."

"Yeah I heard that part. So if they're not acting on their own intentions then whose? And why isn't my magic affecting them?"

"Well, if they're in league with a sorcerer maybe there's a protective enchantment that's blocking your magic from being used against them?"

"Possibly," Merlin said slowly, "I just feel so useless if I can't use my magic. What's the point if I can't protect people against those men."

"Well you sword fight pretty well," Gwaine pointed out which softened Merlin's expression slightly, "Come on, there's not much you can do now. Get some rest. We both could use it, then at first light we'll see if we can find Arthur and the others."

"Yeah, you look terrible," Merlin admitted with smirk.

"Still a hell of a lot better than you," Gwaine replied cooly. They both grinned for a moment despite the circumstance and whilst the moon was still beginning its cycle, they greeted the much welcomed world of sleep and rest.

* * *

There was a loud shout from close by, too close. Merlin's eyes shot open. He was sprawled on the ground, fallen away from the oak they had all rested against. Gwaine was already on his feet and alert, scanning the forest through the gaps in the leaves. The sky was just beginning to glow with a grey light and the forest was shadowed by the trees. He strained his ears to detect any more sounds. The air was silent. He shared a look with Gwaine that clearly said it was time to go. Gwaine had half drawn his sword from his sheathe already in preparation and gave a nod to Merlin to get ready to make a run for it.

Crouching back down slowly, his watch never leaving the rows of bushes and leaves that shielded them, Merlin shook the shoulder of the sleeping child. Misty shifted with a groan and Merlin had to place a hand over her mouth to mute it. The girl reacted badly to that. Her eyes flew open in panic and she struggled to pull away until she recognised the face before her and her memories of the previous night were released from her sleep ridden mind. She placed a small hand over his to let him know she would be quiet and he lowered his hand. The girl grasped the situation immediately and, with the same slow movement that Merlin had moved in, cautiously raised herself to her feet and scanned through the bushes for any sign of their predators.

"Go," Gwaine mouthed back at them silently, jerking his head to the side to indicate which way. Merlin grabbed the girl's, Misty's, hand to lead her and she gripped back and followed him, placing each step carefully so as not to make a sound. Merlin had to amend it to her that she was fairly good in a crisis and no novice when it came to sneaking around. They pushed their way out of their hiding spot, Gwaine just behind them, walking with his back to them, to keep an eye out for any movement behind. They had just made it out in the open, leaving them exposed and rather vulnerable. They had to move now before someone spotted them

But it was too late. There was another yell from behind them and a lone man came charging through the trees to the right of them, sword raised high. Gwaine's sword clashed with his, moving so fast that Merlin had not even seen him unsheathe it fully. One on one, Gwaine was fine. Merlin felt a small pressure in his hand and glanced down at the girl who was watching the fight alertly. Merlin looked back at the fighting pair but cursed himself for not noticing before. It wasn't the fight Misty was transfixed on; it was the group of men who were picking their way stealthily towards them.

"We're about to have more company," Merlin warned Gwaine. He released the girl's hand who allowed him without any protest and he reached for his own sword, as useless as it would be against these men. There was a satisfying thud as Gwaine's opponent fell down, scarlet staining his abdomen. With that Gwaine finally was offered a look at the men bearing down on them and backed up a bit. It looked like they had brought the whole camp along. From three sides, these wild men strode towards them surely and there were glints of silver on the early morning light as weapons were drawn.

"Er, Merlin!" Gwaine said, "I'm going to need a little help here."

"I can't!" Merlin said, indicating to the small girl beside him.

"So? She's a kid. She's not going to tell anyone!"

The girl scowled at him.

"Well, you're not going to tell anyone are you?" He softened his voice slightly.

The girl seemed to consider for a moment then shook her head firmly. Reluctantly Merlin's sword was lowered to his side, and hung limply in his grip as he waited for them to approach. Once the first group were within charging distance, his eyes sparked a brilliant gold and the whole group were sent cart wheeling backwards through the air, slamming into a group behind them. A larger figure was heading towards them, towering over the others from pure bulk. It was the Captain. There was another flash of angry gold and the Captain was sent further than the others, over the head of the groups of men and disappearing from view.

"Nice," Gwaine muttered.

"Sorry, I don't know what happened," Merlin frowned. He hadn't meant to send him that far but his rage had built when his thoughts had rested on the man's heartlessness and his carelessness towards an innocent child. He did not have long to ponder this, however, as the rest of the onslaught continued to attack. It was over the top to take down two men and a child.

Gwaine was soon engaged in battle with the men from the right whilst Merlin was forced to see to the men both in front and to the left. Men were sent flying backwards at random turning the fight into pure chaos. Weapons burnt white hot at the handle, causing them to be dropped with cries of pain by their owners, branches fell out of control onto the heads of men and some swords even turned against their own masters. It was difficult keeping it up though and sweat had begun to form on Merlin's brow. He groaned in frustration as he saw the men he had just sent down, hauling themselves back to their feet, retrieving fallen weapons and rejoining the fight with renewed effort.

"They're not staying down," Merlin yelled to Gwaine over the wave of attackers that had them overwhelmed, "They should be staying down."

"Have you tried telling them that," Gwaine's irritated reply came as he wrestled a group of soldiers away and knocked one back with the pummel of his sword.

Merlin released a wave of his magic knocking a large group to the ground but within seconds they were pulling themselves back to their feet. Magic would be no use against these. Panic gripped Merlin which he had never felt before, never had he been so powerless. They had nowhere to run.

He spun his head around to check on Gwaine. He was facing too many for the odds to be in his favour. The girl was backing up slowly, though had nowhere to escape to, her eyes wide with uncontrollable fear. His eyes met Gwaine's. They knew this was a battle that they could not win but that didn't mean that they weren't going to give it their best shot. More magic fell over the onslaught, delaying the inevitable for as long as they could.

More of the men surrounded them. There was nowhere to run. Now the Captain was pushing his way through the crowd to get to the front, his eyes fixed menacingly on the two. They were backed even further together. A sword caught Merlin on the arm, and scarlet pain forced its way to his mind but was dulled by the adrenalin surging through him. His eyes flashed again and the man went flying over the crowd with a shriek. It wasn't enough.

Merlin found Gwaine again, nearly overcome, fighting with his last strength to keep them back. His movements were turning sluggish but as determined as ever, his arm was curled protectively around his left side as he swung his sword with his other hand, parrying blows and striking at the enemies. Merlin caught his glance as the knight finally fell and, with a dull thud, Gwaine crumpled to the ground.


	4. Chapter 4- Refuge

**Chapter 4! I'm coming to the end of pre-written chapters, and I failed to write any more so I apologise for any longer waits. Also how is this story so far? I feel it's a lot slower than my first one and I'll try to speed it up and add some more action/excitement. Let me know though.**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed and followed this story. It's amazing! You are the best! **

**Anyway, hope you enjoy...**

Chapter 4- Refuge

His mind swirled in unconsciousness as he struggled to surface but he didn't want to return to the waking world. He was so tired. A voice called to him through the darkness from so far away and so faint that Arthur almost missed it. He tried to wave the voice off so he could sleep for a bit longer. It couldn't be time to get up yet. This must be Merlin's idea of a joke. The voice persisted until it became a bit clearer and Arthur realised it was his name being called and it was not the irritating voice of his servant but was full of much more concern.

Slowly his eyes slid open and the scene came to him, misted over. Darkness still clung to the air around him and confusion filled him until he realised that it must be night. Not time to get up yet. His eyes began to close again until...

"Arthur!"

His eyes snapped open again and slowly his gaze shifted to a face close by. Leon was knelt beside him, concern filled his reactions, slowly to be replaced with relief at seeing his king awake. Arthur's eyes fell back to the sky which was barely visible over the roof of trees high above them. Stars glistened faintly and the only source of light was the crescent moon that cast a ghostly shade over the two. As much as Arthur wanted to lie there and forget the world, he knew they had to move and tried to pull himself into a seated position only to find that his left arm was bound tightly across his chest. With Leon's help he sat up and examined the red material that held his arm in place. He was dimly aware of a dull ache in his left shoulder and the throbbing pain of his leg which was also wrapped tightly in a red material to staunch the blood flow. Arthur noticed that it was Leon's cloak which had suffered for this. It lay in rags around them and the knight looked strangely bare without the red cape pinned at his shoulder like all the other knight's of Camelot.

"What happened?" Arthur managed.

"I don't know," Leon replied slowly, a frown crossing his features, "There was this strange blinding white light. At first I thought that lightening had somehow struck but it lasted to long. The next thing I know everything's gone black. I woke up somewhere back there," Leon waved carelessly behind him, "I started walking to find someone and within minutes I saw you lying there unconscious. I feared the worst when I first saw you...but you've pulled through just like you always do, Sire." Arthur gave a faint smile.

"You've got a dislocated shoulder," Leon continued, motioning to his bound arm, "I fixed it but you should still rest it and I managed to clean the wound to your leg. I'm surprised you slept through it really."

"Merlin always did say I was a heavy sleeper," Arthur muttered to himself.

"What, Sire?"

"Nothing," Arthur addressed the knight now, "What about the others? Any sign of them?"

"No Arthur," Leon's expression turned down cast, "There's been no sign with the others. They're not around here at least. I haven't really searched for them yet."

"Then we best get started then," Arthur told him, managing to push himself to his feet where he stumbled until he balanced himself on his good leg,

"Arthur, I must protest-"

"You can protest all you like Leon, but we need to find them."

"Arthur! You can't possibly walk. What help are you going to be if you do find them. You're going to make yourself worse. We should find somewhere to rest for the night then we can see what we can do about the others. Those men who attacked us could still be out there somewhere."

It felt strange giving the king orders and Leon hoped it wouldn't be taken the wrong way. Arthur looked like he was going to refuse but pain sparked in his leg when he put weight on it and he reluctantly agreed with Leon. With Leon supporting him, they both made their way unsteadily through the forest. Arthur didn't know where they were going but he didn't argue with Leon. He was right. They wouldn't be any help to the others like this. Already Arthur's strength was waning. The moon hung high in the sky, lighting their path as the two made their way through the forest.

Arthur tried to focus on putting one foot in front of the other. The pain in his leg and shoulder had grown to a constant throbbing ache and his head felt heavy. He was well aware that he was leaning more and more on Leon, relying on him to remain on his feet. Despite the frosty night air, his head was burning and he could feel the beads of sweat that hung on his forehead. He couldn't continue on like this for long and both he and Leon knew this.

It wasn't long after he had come to this conclusion that he stumbled over his own feet in his exhausted state and pulled Leon to the ground with him though the knight managed to slow their fall and lowered Arthur more gently to the ground. Arthur panted heavily, trying to recover the energy he had lost, lying on his front on the forest floor, head resting on his free arm. Leon was kneeling beside him, scanning the surrounding forest alertly for any sign of danger. Once Arthur's breathing had steadied, Leon helped him back into a seating position, his back against a tree. He leaned his head back against the rough bark watching the stars high above them now.

His thoughts fell on his friends. Were the lost too? Were they alone? Were they hurt? Arthur desperately hoped not. He wouldn't be able to cope if he knew that he had lost any one of his friends. He hoped they were together and safe, waiting out the night until they could regroup in the light of day. Maybe they were looking for him. That thought reassured him and he allowed this fantasy to distract his aching mind. He pictured the other knights crowded in a clearing somewhere, the glowing embers of a fire illuminating the faces of his friends. Elyon would be joking around, teasing Gwaine most likely, the rest would be laughing. Percival would be the solid presence among them, his silent nature spreading calm among them, maybe making sly comments here and there, probably also at Gwaine's expense. Gwaine would be complaining about something or pretending to be offended at the teasing by his friends, whilst laughing inwardly at it all. Merlin would be defending Gwaine or being a klutz as usual, making a mess, tripping over his own feet. Leon would be trying to get the knights to be serious for one moment as if that was possible.

No Leon was here with him. That realisation pulled Arthur from his fantasy and he found himself staring back upwards at the starry night sky. He began to wonder where the others were now, well aware that his imagination was far from the truth. Maybe, wherever they were, they were looking at the same stars in the same sky somewhere. That thought comforted him, made him feel closer to the others despite their separation.

He looked back at Leon, more determined to move on.

"Arthur, I don't think we can go on like this," Leon said ruefully, "I know you want to move on but this is doing no good for anyone, especially you. I have an idea. I can scout out ahead. I'll be quicker on my own. I'll see if there's anywhere we can stay for the night and make sure that there is no sign of those men anywhere, then at least we'll know and have somewhere to go."

Arthur thought for a moment. He didn't like the idea of Leon going off on his own but was well aware that he was his most capable knight. The thought of being left on his own whilst he was weak and helpless like this wasn't a pleasant thought either but they didn't have any other ideas and he couldn't form any other plan with his sluggish brain right now.

"Okay," Arthur replied slowly, "But hurry and if you see anyone, any sign of danger, come back here, don't face it on your own okay?"

Leon raised his eyebrows and gave him a look as if to say 'I know what I'm doing' but replied with a simple, "Yes Sire" before rising to his feet. He head off, vanishing into the shadows of the forest nearly immediately, leaving Arthur to wait in the stiff silence that was left.

Arthur's nerves began playing on his senses once he was sitting alone on the cold forest floor. The quiet whisper of the leaves through the wind sounded like an attacker making his way slowly towards him, or some fiendish monster intent on an easy prey, coming up slowly behind him, crouching low, ready to pounce and snuff the life out of him whilst he sat unbeknownst to the danger lurking behind him until it was too late. No. He was getting ridiculous now. The wind was just the wind. His mind was playing tricks on him as his worry seeped in but this knowledge did little to calm his racing heart. He took slow deep breaths to get his thoughts under control.

His eyes darted left and right, sweeping the dull land around him, though he couldn't see far in the darkness, straining his ears for anything unnatural in the night coated forest. Somewhere in the distance an owl hooted dronely and the noise sent Arthur's heart thudding again. He closed his eyes to block out the panic but snapped them open again when he remembered he had to be alert in case his worries were more than just that.

How long had Leon been gone for? Ten minutes? Half an hour? An hour? Arthur didn't know but it felt like days that he had been sitting here. His head was burning now and he could feel the beads of sweat slowly tracing track down the side of his face and his whole body felt frail and weak. He hoped against hope that the wound in his leg had not become infected but luck didn't seem to be on his side right now. He shifted his damaged shoulder, trying to see if it was any use to him right now. The pain that shot through him was his answer. He wanted to untie the red material that pinned his arm in place but knew that it would only cause more harm than good. Besides that would mean that Leon's poor cloak had been destroyed for nothing. Arthur promised that he would personally see that a new one was made especially for the knight.

Okay now he definitely knew he had a fever. Only that would cause the delirious concern over a cloak. Did knowing when you were thinking ridiculously make you any more sane? Okay he was definitely making no sense now.

A twig snapped somewhere ahead of him. His good arm reached for his sword, the cool grip of the handle reassuring against his warm palm. He half raised himself from where he sat, ready to defend himself from whoever was hidden out there. Heart hammering in his chest, breathing low, mind racing, he waited.

A moment later, Leon emerged from shadows, bringing himself to a sudden stop when he saw Arthur who lowered himself back the ground in relief.

"Couldn't find you for a moment," Leon explained then continued when Arthur said nothing, "There's a village not too far away," he pointed an arm behind him in the direction Arthur assumed the village lay in, "I saw fires burning around the borders and it looked safe from what I could see; just a simple farming village by the looks of it. We should be able to get there easily."

"Very good, Leon," Arthur commented, glad to finally have somewhere to go, "We best get going." He struggled to his feet, more difficult with only one arm and leg. Leon rushed forwards to help and draped Arthur's good arm over his shoulders, ready to help him walk. Arthur nodded his gratitude and together they made their way slowly towards their destination. The way was painstakingly slow. Arthur knew Leon must be able to feel the heat radiating off him but nothing was said, at least not yet.

It had felt like they had been going for days until finally Arthur saw the bright glow of fire up ahead, bright against the black trunks of the trees around them, They came to the edge of the forest line and he saw the land open up to welcome a small village, a dozen houses at most, crops and plants springing to life in ordered segments around them and the soft braying of animals on the night air. The wind seemed softer here, warmer. A mud track, the ground compacted to form a steady path over years of use led to the centre of the village between two empty fields separated by a thin wooden fence. They followed it dutifully towards the houses.

"What's your business here?" A withered voice called out and both knights jumped in surprise. They turned together to find an old man leaning heavily on a twisted wooden walking stick and examining them warily through pale blue eyes. His thin wispy grey hair fluttered in the breeze and a silver beard coated the bottom of his face. Leon didn't reply, allowing Arthur to choose their answer. It was up to him how they would play this.

"We're looking for somewhere to rest. We mean you no harm."

"Aye, you say that now but give me no reason to trust you."

"I give you my word as a knight...and as king of Camelot."

So he was going for the truthful approach, Leon thought, maybe a bit risky.

The old man physically stumbled back at that news. He seemed momentarily stunned staring in awe at Arthur, trying to figure out if this was some sort of trick but his eyes fell on the red cloak which indeed belonged to a knight of Camelot and the regal way in which Arthur held himself when he stood and knew that it couldn't be a lie.

"King of-? My lord!" The old man stuttered, bowing low so that he nearly overbalanced and his grip on his walking stick was all that kept him standing, "What brings you to this village?"

"We were attacked in the forest and were split up from the rest of my knights," Arthur told him, wanting to keep a simple explanation and not mentioning how they had been split up, "We just need somewhere to rest for the night then we will resume the search for the others and return to Camelot. We do not wish to burden you and would be very grateful for your help."

"A burden-? My lord, it would be an honour to be of use to you. Please come this way, come this way," He beckoned over his shoulder as he hobbled along the path, his walking stick tapping a steady rhythm as they went. The two knights followed behind. The houses loomed closer and they walked among the heart of the village quickly. They were lead to a house in the centre which appeared to be one of the largest though still relatively small in comparison to what Arthur was used to seeing in Camelot. The thatched roof was only a few metres high and the stone wall washed with age. The man pushed open the crooked wooden door then shuffled out of the way to allow the two to enter.

Cosy was Arthur's thought of the room. A fire burned in a fireplace on the back wall, a steady stream of smoking rising out through the ceiling. Two beds stood in the corner of the room, the blankets neatly upon them seeming like no one had slept there in a while and a single table and chair stood at the opposite side of the room.

"Do you have any bandages? Hot water?" Leon asked the old man after surveying the room. The old man noticed how Leon was supporting Arthur and nodded.

"Of course, of course," He hurried out of the room, the tapping of his cane echoing out of ear shot as he left. Leon carefully lowered Arthur down onto one of the beds.

A moment later the old man returned, bandages clutched in his arms and pulled a pale of water along the ground, carving a trace in the ground and sloshing water of the sides. Leon immediately felt guilty for making the old man struggle and rushed forwards to help. The man smiled gratefully at him and straightened up, his back creaking as he did. Leon carried the supplies over to Arthur who was sitting with his head hung low.

"This is the only spare room I'm afraid," The old man apologised, still stood in the doorway, "It's been empty since..." his voice trailed away and Arthur thought he saw a flicker of pain in the old man's eyes and decided not to question him any further. He cleared his throat, "Is there anything else you'll be needing, Sires?"

"No, thank you," Arthur replied. The old man gave a simple nod and backed out of the room.

Leon set the water by the fire to heat up then made his way back over to Arthur to unwrap the feeble red cloth of makeshift bandages and see the damage of the wounds. There wasn't much to be done about the shoulder but he still checked to see if anything was broken or if there was any other injury. He then moved to his leg which had stopped bleeding but was still a bloody mess. He went back over to the water and brought it over. He began to clean the wound as carefully as he could but there was only a sharp intake of breath from Arthur when he started to indicate the pain. The water was soon dyed a sickly red colour and the cloth he was using was worse for wear. He grabbed the bandages and began to wrap the wound, making sure he didn't put too much pressure on the wound to put Arthur in any more pain than he already was.

Throughout the whole ordeal, Arthur had sat with his eyes screwed shut to cope with the wave of pain and to keep from crying out, knowing it was better to not resist. He only opened his eyes when he felt Leon move away. He sighed in relief and flexed his shoulders, ignoring the ache it sent through him.

"We'll have to head back to Camelot tomorrow," Arthur said needlessly, more for something to say, "The others would have returned there if they could. If not we can send out search parties for them when we get back." Leon nodded. They let silence fill they gap, neither mentioning the chance that the others might not make it back to Camelot.

The silence was interrupted by the creak of the door and the old man entered once more.

"Ah, Sires," He greeted, "I know you said you didn't need anything more but I thought that you would need something so I bought you some food," he set the bread he had brought on the table, "You're welcome to stay here for as long as you need, and if there's anything you need, please ask right away, Sire." He bowed once more.

"Thank you," Arthur told him earnestly, "for everything. We are truly grateful."

"Ah, but it is my duty, Sire," the old man replied, bowing again.

Arthur couldn't help but chuckle at the old man. There was something about his manner and croaky aged voice that seemed amiable and endearing.

"Please, you don't have to bow," Arthur said with a shake of his head, "You can call me Arthur."

"Arthur," The old man said as though testing the word out, "Of course, Sire." Arthur suppressed another laugh.

"What is your name?" Arthur asked curiously.

"Adam, my lord," He replied.

"Well, Adam, if there is anything you need, do not hesitate to ask us."

The old man looked slightly taken aback by this and stuttered over a few beginnings of sentence before falling silent, not trusting his voice. He opted for leaving the room, then quickly re-entered, bowed to him once again, and left.

Arthur's eyes met Leon's and neither could help the laughter that erupted from them at the oddity of this old man. Leon was first to recover.

"Do you want any of this Arthur?" he indicated to the bread on the table.

"No, I don't think I could eat anything right now," He said, still grinning.

Leon took this answer and the bread. He kept half for Arthur in case he changed his mind but he was starving from the days events that seemed so long ago. Before long he heard steady breathing from across the room and saw how Arthur had finally succumbed to his exhaustion and fallen asleep.

* * *

"Arthur!"

Not again. Arthur was woken the next morning by Leon's voice. This was becoming a routine now, though his voice sounded a bit more panicked this time.

"Arthur!"

Arthur shot up from the bed, jarring his injured shoulder and sending pains shooting up his leg. Leon burst through the doorway, the weak wood crashing back against the wall. Arthur was immediately on his feet as he saw the worry on the knight's face.

"What is it?" He asked striding over to the open doorway.

"One of the villagers have reported seeing people out in the forest when they were out collecting herbs. They said they were knights," Arthur's heart leapt but was shot down as Leon continued, "in blue cloaks."

"The knights who attacked us yesterday."

"Yes, it sounds like it, and according to the villager, they're coming this way, right towards the village."

"What?!" Arthur exclaimed, and Leon flattened himself against the door as Arthur pushed his way past outside.

"Where?" he glanced up and down the path outside. The village seemed staggeringly different in the daylight. The roofs glowed yellow in the beams of the sun and colour enhanced every detail; the bright hue of the grass that coated the sides of the path like a border, the pale stones that shone almost white against the pale morning sky, the deep brown fences that lined every field, even the wind seemed to grab some of the colour and spread it around, swirling white waves and green tints though the houses. Arthur would have stood to admire it but his mind was racing too much to take anything in.

"This way," Leon called heading out to the right and turning a corner left down the dirt track. Arthur was close behind him, running with a limp but trying to push the pain to the back of his mind as he hurried along. He recognised the path as the same they had gone down the night before that lead straight into the forest.

A crowd of villagers were gathered on the path, staring intently into the forest for any sign of these knights. Adam was among them, standing beside a woman with similar silver hair tied back into a loose bun. Arthur followed Leon to the front of the group and scanned the forest for any sign of movement but it was still.

"Are you sure?" He hissed at Leon after a few more minutes of waiting.

"Yes," he replied and nodded at a young man near the front of the crowd with dark black hair and stern brown eyes. He stepped forwards gingerly.

"I saw them with my own eyes, Sire," He informed them.

Great. Adam must have told everyone who he was.

"How many?"

"I don't know. I could not see much. I ran back as soon as I saw them. At least half a dozen, I think."

Arthur gave a nod of understanding to him before focusing back on the forest. They were outnumbered and he couldn't see how they could hold out against that many knights with just the two of them, himself injured, and a group of innocent villagers who had probably never witnessed a fight before in their life, let alone been in one. Still they had to try. Arthur's hand went to his sword, closing reassuringly around the cool hilt and unsheathing it half way. Leon gave him a nod and did the same. He didn't need to explain the odds to him. They both knew.

Suddenly a rustling up ahead alerted them to the approach of the knights.

If they were to go down they would go down fighting.

Arthur braced himself, intent on protecting these innocent people behind him for as long as he could.

His knuckles turned white on his sword as a silver form burst through the tree line.


End file.
